A NORTH-EAST man who decided to research his father's wartime career ended up writing a history of the searchlight operators.

When Geoffrey Berriman, from Witton Gilbert, near Durham, began looking into his father Alan's wartime history, he discovered that he had been in a searchlight unit, which during the Second World War was stationed in the UK, North Africa and Italy.

The searchlight operator's job was to dazzle low flying aircraft, aid anti-aircraft gunners and provide "homing beacons" to guide aircraft if their landing strip had been bombed.

They also provided artificial moonlight to help illuminate enemy troops on the ground.

It was a dangerous job for the 120,000 men and women working in the units, because enemy pilots could attack them simply by shooting into the beam of light.

It was also a job that earned the operators little recognition.

Mr Berriman said: "I think if they had been infantry units they would have had a lot more recognition and there was a lot of teamwork involved, so it was difficult for their commanding officer to single out one man for an award."

Alan Berriman came from Fence Houses, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

He was a partner in a building firm before being called up and commissioned into one of the Durham Light Infantry's three searchlight units in August 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Although he survived the war, Mr Berriman died while his son was young.

This meant that Geoffrey Berriman had to carry out his research into his father's role in the war by examining documents held at the Public Records Office, Imperial War Museum and other museums and record offices.

The local history author dedicated his book, They Swept the Skies, to his father and all the other men and women who served in the searchlights.

l They Swept the Skies, by Geoffrey Berriman, is published by The People's History. It costs £9.99.